Concern over stop and search figures

John Pentland

Motherwell and Wishaw MSP John Pentland has highlighted his concerns about Police Scotland stopping and searching people more than half a million times between April and December last year.

Mr Pentland said that most of the searches were done without any suspicion of criminal activity and said he was unhappy about a lack of concern shown by the Scottish Government and the ineffectiveness of the Scottish Government- appointed Scottish Police Authority on the issue.

Speaking in parliament, he said that the total of 519,213 searches was four times the rate for England and Wales.

He continued: “Why does the Justice Secretary think that our citizens are less trustworthy than those in the rest of the UK?”

“Those are real issues of public concern, but not, it seems, in the eyes of the Justice Secretary.”